


Tomorrow is a Long Time Coming

by karrenia_rune



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Canon Crossover, Community: where no woman, Gen, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-22
Updated: 2012-03-22
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karrenia_rune/pseuds/karrenia_rune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jadzia winds up in the AOS-verse: she would normally be trying her damndest not to make any ripples until someone shows up to retrieve her or she finds a way home, but she's beginning to realize that while she's from A future, she's not from THEIR future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomorrow is a Long Time Coming

Disclaimer: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the character of Jadzia Dax and all other who are mentioned here belong to Paramount, its producers and creators. They are not mine and are only ‘borrowed’ for the purposes of the story. ST: The Original Series also belongs to Paramount, Gene Roddenberry etc.

"Tomorrow is a Long Time Coming" by karrenia_rune

 

Her head pounded and her palms were sweating and trembling and it took an effort to make it stop when she finally was able to open her eyes and get a decent look around at her immediately surroundings. The fact that she was not seeing the corrugated sweeping up-curves meeting the straight angular lines preferred by most but not all Starfleet architects and engineers sent the first of many red flags.  
‘Okay,’ Jadzia Dax thought, I’m no longer aboard the station, that’s a given, so how did I arrive aboard a starship, and where’s the crew?”

She stood up; perhaps a bit too rapidly than her pounding head would allow for a spent a few seconds or so getting her bearings. Feeling a bit better but not a hundred percent Jadzia, no stranger to the general design of space ships, of Federation make or not, realized that she was on Deck 15 and headed towards a nearby computer terminal to make a few rather pointed inquiries before she did anything else.

If pressed she could not really have said why, maybe it was the scientist in here, maybe it was the curiosity and determination that had convinced a young, head-strong and curious young Trill to not only go into the sciences in the first place, but also to insist on allowed entry in as the highly competitive and highly-prized by many of her people to be selected as a candidate for joining with the creatures known as symbiotyes  
Whatever the case may be she much preferred to approach any given situation with knowing that would have as much information as possible. “Better to be forearmed then unarmed, I always say,” she thought and smiled a wry twisting of her lips and at her rather dry humor.

The terminal interface was rather simple to use, almost an technological relic and even as she accessed the ship’s computer database with relative ease she could not help but think that were Deep Space Nine and by default the Defiant’s Chief of Operations were here. He would have taken one look at the antiquated by still remarkably well-maintained technology and thrown up his hands more than likely adding to disgruntlement along with a few choose words about ‘how some’ people chose to hang onto outdated equipment long past the time to clunk out the old junk in favor of better more efficient junk.

A mental image of Miles O’Brien in full fire and form came to mind and she smiled once more.

As she waited for the results of search tree to come back from the computer the smile morphed into a frown: Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)  
Class: Constitution  
Service: Stardates 2245–2285

“Surely that can’t be right,” she muttered under her breath.

While she considered the possibilities the sound of someone approaching down the corridor coming directly to where she stood by the terminal broke her out of her meandering thoughts. “Pardon me, Ma’am,” a gruff but friendly male voice, “but I’m a doctor not a historian, but I don’t think anyone would go so far as tampering with the ship’s manifest. So, unless you’re digging that up as part of a research project other needs to use that terminal, too.”

She pivoted on her heel so quickly that she nearly knocked down a human male with a shock of brown hair, about average height, and penetrating brown eyes, and whose face, seemingly set in perpetual lines of disgruntlement but not unfriendly expression regarded more with surprise than anger at the sudden jostling.

The man wore the blue colored uniform with two double pips on his left shoulder that indicated a couple of things: One, he had also chosen to serve Starfleet in the capacity of the sciences, like she had, and two he managed to attain the rank of an officer, perhaps a lieutenant.

“Oh, of course,” Jadzia replied quickly recovering not only her equilibrium but her considerable poise as well. “If you don’t mind,”” she began but was cut off.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Well, it’s just that I’m a new transfer and I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. “Emony Dax,” Even as the name of her the woman who had once served as a previous Dax host feel from her lips Jada had almost been tempted to give her real name, but instead, perhaps without even being aware of making the conscious decision, realized not only who this man must be, Dr. Leonard McCoy

Not that long ago, through an temporal accident, the crew of the Defiant from her own time line had crossed paths with that of this man, this ship and its crew, not to mention and entire nest of one of the most dreaded alien species, the Tribbles.

In the back of her mind she realized that her most important question that she should have been asking the computer to verify was not where she was, but when, she was. ‘Great,’ she thought in the back of her mind, ‘It would seem that I am yet again experiencing some kind of temporal anomaly, while this is rather disconcerting, I shall use this as an opportunity to study the effects and gather empirical data.’

“You’re new here,” McCoy replied, “So I guess I can cut you some slack.” His schedule of late had been incredibly hectic and the upcoming schedule for the coming week did not look as if it was going to be any better. 

His testy, acerbic, blunt nature and the fact that his he looked as he had not sleep in the last forty eight hours were telling to him to get this novice officer on her way and be done with it; but then he took a closer look. Her blue uniform with the two silver pips indicated that she was in sciences much as he was, although he had long since settled into medicine as a preference; also that she was an officer, albeit a young one. Then he took a third look, noting the distinctive spots that were endemic to a very uncommon star-faring species, the Trill.

The Trill, at this time in Federation history chose to remain unaffiliated with any of the major mover and shakers in the Alpha Quadrant? The only other Trill he had ever met was a woman named Niah Dax, and he also know that the Trill had a reputation about being remarkably close-mouthed, so much so, that that the do-not ask, do not tell, secrecy surrounding those select few among their own people who had been chosen to be joined to an alien life-form known as the symbionts bordered almost on outright paranoia. Not that he much blamed them.

Even as those thoughts passed through his mind he remarked. “By any chance would you be related to a Niah? He had always thought of himself as an pragmatic individual not one to hold onto items from the past, whether those items be places, people, or things, but somehow a time and a place when he had been a recent graduate of Star Fleet Ac ademy and had returned home to take some time off and consider what he’d do with his career, he had met a young woman named Emony Dax at a bar and then had hit it off immediately.

She had told him that she was a gymnast just arrived on Earth to judge in a highly-regarded tournament at the University of Mississippi.

A little conversation over drinks, a few laughs, and one thing had led to another, but one thing above all had stood out for him about that night; one he had not given much thought to, she had told him that he had the hands a surgeon: long-tapered fingers, strong but not too strong and the disposition of a pit bull.

He could not have said why that night stood out so clearly even though regarding this tall, determined woman whose eyes seemed to penetrate beyond his outer layers of gruffness and crusty sarcasm and see into him; the only other woman, beside his wife, Joanna, who had ever been capable of doing that with disconcerting and surprising skill were Emony Dax and her predecessor, Niah.

“You can’t be Emony,” he muttered under his breath. You may be a Trill, but that as far as the resemblance goes. I don’t appreciate being jerked around,” McCoy growled in an undertone, “so before I call security, Lt., you’d best tell me who you really are!”

Jadzia realized that she had made a miscalculation somewhere along, she knew that Dax’s previous host Emony had met and befriend Leonard McCoy, and while it had definitely made a lasting impression on Emony back then and on her predecessor, it would seem that either or both had left a far lasting one on the man, as well.

“It’s complicated,” Jadzia began with a nonchalant shrug. “

“Try me,” McCoy replied.

“Well, seeing as I cannot quite explain it myself. I am a Dax, Jadzia Dax to be precise, same species, just a different vintage.”

“Come again? “You’re a Trill, of that I have no doubt, unless someone has gone to all the trouble of doing a cunning impersonation, and I haven ‘the faintest why someone would do that,” McCoy replied. “I’m taking you to see the Captain.”

Jadzia nodded. “Of course, sure, that would be great. She cleared her throat and replied level. “Yes, Sir!”

For his part Leonard McCoy simply turned on his heel and uttered an inarticulate guffaw.

 

***  
The famous Captain James T. Kirk was much as she remembered from the all too brief visit the crew o  
of the Defiant had made to his ship and his time-line. That mix of charming and intimidating but undeniably committed to his crew and his ship was very much in evidence. Seated at his side was First Officer, Spock.

On down the long narrow conference table were Lt. Commander Hikaru Sulu, Ensign Palev Chekov and communications, Lt. Nyota Uhura.

While Jadzia was aware on some level that many an officer on down the ranks would absolutely fall all over themselves to be where she was seated at this very moment; she was also aware that her presence also meant that something was seriously y out of whack with the temporal time-line. She shrugged and concluded, ‘If that’s the case, there isn’t much I can do about at the moment. Best table that issue and deal with the more immediate issues first.’

“Bones,” Kirk drawled, “To what do we owe the pleasure of your scowl this fine ship’s morning?”

“Her.”

“That’s an economical choice of words if I’ve heard them, especially coming from you old friend,’ Kirk replied, “Could I ask you to elaborate a bit more.”

“Sure, first I find her accessing ship’s computer database, for registry number, coordinates and service dates, then when I come up to her she acted like that the information was somehow wrong or had been tampered with.

Kirk turned to face Jadzia. “Is this true?”

“Yes, in as far as it goes. I would like to see that I did warn him that I can explain all that, but it’s complicated.”

Spock leaned forward. “I would be most interested in seeing you how unsnarl this knot.”

She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I guess we can start with the basics, my name is Jadzia Dax, I don’t know why when he asked me for name I gave him Emony. It’s perhaps that at one time we met back in his home town. Well, not he and I precisely, it was actually Emony and Leonard, but pronouns do become dreadfully confused after a while.”

“You’ve met?” Spock turned to McCoy.

“It was a long time ago, and this ‘person’ sitting before us right now, is not the Emony I knew. I realize in all likelihood that the Dax symbiont could have moved on to another host in the time since we last saw each other; they have a habit of doing that,’ he sighed and then shook his head. “But, something about this whole thing just does sit right with me. That’s why I brought to your attention, Jim.”

“I’ve learned over the years, to trust that gut instinct of yours, Bones,” Kirk replied. “Well, Miss, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Jadzia grinned. She could talk in circles realizing that if she told the outright truth she risked one of two things, maybe more, one they might not belief her, which might be the best thing and she would have the opportunity to figure out to return to her own time-line. And secondly, from a quantum physics perspective did she really want to run the risk of causing temporal ripples that might or might not become irrevocable?

And then there was always the possibly that they’d think she was crazy and lock her up somewhere where she would not be a threat to herself or others. No, scratch that, the best thing to do, she decided was some type of compromise between all three eventualities.

“He’s right, sooner or later the symbiont will become passed on to a new host when the previous host is dead; but I mentioned earlier that I am of the same species, just a different vintage.”

“What did you mean by that?" Lt. Uhura asked.

“I meant, there’s we’ll have to jump a couple of hosts before you get to me. I am the eighth Dax host. They were three more before me.”

“How is that even possible?” Spock asked.

“It’s a matter of timing,” she replied, “In both the literal and metaphorical sense, because I seem to have become unstuck in the time-line, and I haven’t the faintest idea on how to go about rectifying the situation.

“Are you saying that you’re from a future timeline?” Uhura asked, hardly even batting an elegantly up-tilted inky black eyebrow.  
Jadzia nodded encouragingly. “That is exactly what I am saying.”

Kirk darted a significant glance at his second in command and Chief Science Officer as the ripple of muffled conversation went on down and across the table as those seated around took in the implications of that statement. 

They maintained eye contact for a few stretching moments or two and then Spock after a nod from

Kirk turned his head back to face her and said. “Then we must do what we can to help you rectify the situation.”

"You don't know how relieved I am that we're on the same page, Sir."


End file.
